Sheet-metal socket.



E, L. WATROUS.

SHEET METAL SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1909.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

EDWARD L. WATROUS, 0F DES MOINES, IOWA.

SHEET-METAL sooxnr/ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

Application filed May 3, 1909. Serial No. 493,581.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. WVATRoUs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, haveinvented a certain new and useful Sheet-Metal Socket, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a socket which may be formedcomplete of a single piece of sheet metal without handwork, and which isespecially designed for use in connecting supporting legs to devicessuch, for instance, as the bodies of washing machines.

A further object is to provide a device of this kind in which the legthat is inserted in the socket will engage the sheet metal on all sidesand will, therefore, be firmly held in position.

A further object is to provide ribs on the part of the socket thatengages the inner surface of the leg, which ribs are so arranged thatthey will form grooves in the the leg relative to the socket, and alsoto cause the wooden leg to bind and firmly fit within the socket.

A further object is to provide a socket of this kind having an inwardlyprojecting flange at its lower end designed to engage the lower edge ofthe body to which it is attached to thereby enable the operator toquickly and accurately fit the socket to the body in such a manner thatall of the sockets fitted to one body will be spaced apart from thebottom edge the same distance, also for supporting the weight of the tuband more firmly attaching the socket to the tub, and also to obviate anyseparation of the socket from the tub.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated areattained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows afront view of a device embodying my invention applied to a support. Fig.2 shows an edge view of same with a leg inserted in the socket. Fig. 3shows a top or plan view of same. Fig. 4 shows a sectional view on theline 44 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 shows a detail sectional view of the lowerportion of the socket taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the referencenumeral 10 to H1- dlcate the portlon of the body shown, and

- 11, the wooden supporting leg.

The socket is formed complete of a single piece of sheet metal and itcomprises a fiat central portion 12 with sides 13 and marginal flanges14:, the latter being designed to rest against the body to which thesocket is attached. The front portion 12 and the sides 13 arestrengthened and reinforced by means of the raised ribs 15, and at theupper and lower portions of the margins 13 are the rounded extensions 16having screw openings therein for attaching the socket to i a body. Thetop of the socket is formed by extending the front 12 inwardly, thusforming the end 17. At the top of this part 17 is a rounded extension 18having a screw 1 opening therein, and in the central portion ,is a hole17 The supporting leg 11 may jbe driven out by means of a punch or rodthrough the hole 17.

wooden leg to prevent lateral movement of At the lower end of the front12, the edge is strengthened and reinforced by having a .-part of themetal folded upwardly to form f a double thickness at this point and toform a rounded edge at the lower end of the front 12. This upwardlyfolded margin is indicated by the numeral 19. The sides are extendeddownwardly below the front 12. At a point a short distance below thelower end of the front, the sides of the socket are extended from themarginal edges 14, first forwardly away from the body 10 at the pointindicated by the numeral 20, and then they are doubled back toward thebody at the point marked 21, and the sheet metal between the sides atthe points marked 21 is shaped to lie flat against the body, said partbeing indicated by the numeral 22. The lower edge of the part 22 isextended backwardly at 23 to project under the body to which the socketis attached. The parts 22 and 23 are provided with raised ribs 24. Theseribs on the part 22 serve the function of forming longitudinal groovesin the rear face of the wooden leg as it is driven-into the socket tothereby cause said wooden leg to be firmly clamped between the part 22and the front 12, and said ribs 24 also serve to prevent lateralmovements of the wooden leg. In the part 23, I have formed a number ofopenings and the marginal edges of these openings are inclined upwardlyas indicated by the numeral 25 in Fig. 5, said upwardly inclined partsbeing designed to enter the wood of the support 10 to thereby aid insecuring the socket to the part 10.

It is obvious that the entire socket may be formed complete of a singlepiece of sheet metal by means of suitable dies and formers and withoutany hand-work. In attaching the socket to a support, the operator placesthe part 23 against the under edge of the support and drives the pointsprojecting from the under side of the part 23 into the wood part 10,further securing the same with short nails or drive screws, if desired.In this way the part 28 serves as a guide so that the operator canattach a number of sockets quickly and easily to a body to be supportedand all of the sockets will be at the same elevation. Then the operatorplaces a wooden leg in the socket and as the leg is being driven inposition, grooves will be formed on its rear face by means of the raisedribs 24. These ribs will also serve with its upper end engaging the top17 of the socket, then a screw 26 may be passed through the front 12 andthrough the leg into the support 10 to thereby firmly hold the leg inthe socket. It is obvious that the parts 22 and 23 by engaging the rearface of the leg and by being attached to the under surface of thesupport 10 will prevent outward strains upon the lower end of the legfrom prying the lower end of the socket loose from the support 10.

I claim as my invention. 7

1. A device of the class described, formed complete of a single piece ofsheet metal and comprising a front portion and sides, said sides beingprovided with outwardly extended flanges and with screw openings in theflanges, a top member extended from the front inwardly and provided withan upwardly extended flange having a screw opening therein.

2. A device of the class described, formed complete of a single piece ofsheet metal and comprising a front and sides, and flanges at the rearedges of the sides, said front and sides being provided with transverseraised ribs.

3. A device of the class described, formed complete of a single piece ofsheet metal and comprising a front and sides, and means for attachingthe same to a support, said sides being extended below the front, and atransverse plate connected with the sides below the front and arrangedin a plane substantially parallel with the flanges of the sides, saidplate having raised ribs therein extended longitudinally of the socket.

V 4. A device of the class described, formed complete of a single pieceof sheet metal and comprising a front, sides, flanges extended outwardlyfrom the rear edges of the sides, said sides being extended below thefront, said sides at a point below the front being extended firstforwardly from the flanges, and then rearwardly toward the flanges, thesheet metal between said sides below the front being extended across thesocket substantially in line with the said flanges, to form a rear plateand a rearwardly projecting flange at the lower edge of said rear plateto extend under a support to which the socket is attached.

5. A device of the class described, formed complete of a single piece ofsheet metal and comprising a front and sides, and means for attachingthe same to a support, said sides being extended below the front, and atransverse plate connected with the sides below the front and arrangedin a plane substantially parallel with the flanges of the sides, saidplate being provided with a rearwardly projecting flange at its lowerend to extend under a support to which the socket is attached, saidplate and said flange that is connected with the plate being providedwith raised ribs extended longitudinally of the socket.

6. A device of the class described, formed complete of a single piece ofsheet metal and comprising a front and sides, and means for attachingthe same to a support, said sides being extended below the front, and atransverse plate connected with the sides below the front and arrangedin a plane substantially parallel with the flanges of the sides, saidplate being provided with a rearwardly projecting flange at its lowerend to extend under a support to which the socket is attached, saidflange that projects under the support to which the socket is attachedbeing provided with openings, and the material around said openingsbeing extended upwardly for the purposes stated.

7. A device of the class described, formed complete of a single piece ofsheet metal and comprising a front, sides, flanges extended outwardlyfrom the rear edges of the sides, said sides being extended below thefront, said sides at a point below the front being extended firstforwardly from the flanges, and then rearwardly toward the flanges, thesheet metal between said sides below the front being extended across thesocket substantially in line with the said flanges.

Des Moines, Iowa, Dec. 16, 1908.

EDWARD L. WATROUS.

IVitnesses:

M. B. GOLDIZEN, N. M. TAYLOR.

